ESPN distances itself from Jemele Hill's comments calling Trump a 'white supremacist'

09-12-2017
2 min read

ESPN is distancing itself from Jemele Hill's "white supremacist" comments about President Donald Trump.

The co-host of ESPN's 6 p.m. ET "SportsCenter" sparked controversy when on Monday she tweeted Trump is a "white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself" with "other white supremacists."

MORE: White House says Jemele Hill's comments are 'a fireable offense'

On Tuesday, Disney-owned ESPN released a statement saying Hill's tweets were "inappropriate." 

"The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the President do not represent the position of ESPN. We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate," spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement.

Hill, who co-hosts "The Six" with Michael Smith, is one of ESPN's most outspoken personalties. ESPN has suspended or fired other on-air talents who it believed crossed the line, such as Bill Simmons, Curt Schilling and Tony Kornheiser.

MORE: Hill says Trump comments are her 'personal belief'

But ESPN's guidelines to talent about addressing political issues have grown increasingly complicated.

Before the 2016 presidential election between Trump and Hillary Clinton, ESPN sent a memo asking it to refrain from "political editorializing, personal attacks or 'drive-by' comments regarding the candidates and their campaigns."

ESPN issued new guidelines in April 2017 that allow for "political discussion on the network’s platforms."